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Published: March 5th 2006
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From the balcony, we watch our arrival in Manila through a hot, smoggy haze. No morning coffee or breakfast outside for us today. Crew members hang over railings watching too. They are the reason we are here.
A Radisson ship has not called on Manila since 1996. This visit is a reward for Voyager’s mostly Filipino crew. Their anticipation fills the air as Capt. Dag parks the ship. Large, black tires hang from the dock and several crew members scramble to drape bed sheets over them. The Captain is particular about Voyager’s white paint job.
Last night, when Alan and I had dinner at Capt. Dag’s table, he told us how hard it had been to arrange this visit. The plan, in place for many months, is to allow each crew member to bring family onboard to tour the ship.
A few days ago, port authorities notified the Captain that due to security reasons no family members would be allowed in the port area or on the ship. You should have seen the dejected faces the day the Captain announced the sad news.
During our dinner with him, the Captain explained that he had been working all
day to rectify the situation and had almost given up. Finally, in the late afternoon, Capt. Dag told port officials, “If you won’t allow anyone to board my ship, then I won’t allow any of you to board either.” (A special lunch had been planned in Compass Rose to entertain various local officials and members of the travel industry.) With the help of a passenger who happened to be the aunt of Manila’s mayor, Capt. Dag won; the families would be allowed to visit.
The crew’s excitement can be measured by the big smiles they flash at us when we pass them in the halls. Rowena, our stewardess, says she hasn’t been able to sleep for days in anticipation of seeing her 2-year-old daughter. Many of us have told the cabin stewardesses to forget servicing our rooms today to give them extra time with their families. The dining wait staff must work the lunch and dinner shifts visiting relatives during the few short hours in between.
Alan and I had scheduled a waterfall tour today that included riding river rapids.
Tired of all-day excursions and long bus rides, we change our plans. Alan joins a tour to Corregidor
Island with Tyler and Phil. I plan a shopping trip with Stephanie and Vicky.
We are on the first shuttle bus to the mall. When the bus drives across the pier and turns a corner, we can see a long line of family members on the sidewalk. The white uniforms of Voyager officers stick out in the crowd. Heading the line is Capt. Dag, leading family members to his ship.
Our drive to Robinson’s Mall in mid-town Manila takes longer than it should. The entire population of ten million people must be driving on the streets. Each road we turn on is crowded with bumper to bumper cars and colorful jeepneys (public transportation originating from abandoned US army jeeps). We have been told that the unemployment rate is extremely high (60% but that is not substantiated). If so few people work, what are they all doing on the roads?
The streets are lined on each side with power poles holding hundreds of black cables. Some are strung horizontally across the streets. With all those lines, if a power outage occurs, how do they every locate it?
We are passing buildings that we drove by minutes ago.
Are we lost? No, the driver’s assistant tells us the officials would not let the bus pull over to let us out on the first try. The bus driver can’t argue with a rifle-toting policeman so the bus travels through a maze of streets, crosses over crowded lanes of cars to try again. I’m not sure Manila is prepared to be a tourist destination.
When we finally step off the bus in front of Robinson’s Mall, several Voyager passengers express their displeasure to the bus driver. They forget that we are in a third world country and that he’s doing the best he can. In fact, the assistant told us that after today, he and the bus driver will be unemployed…again.
We walk through a security check to enter the six-story Robinson’s Mall. Shopping of every kind is provided in the many annexes that turn off the main corridor. We have to pay close attention so that we don’t lose our way. From groceries to motorcycles, Manila residents can buy everything they need, all under one roof. We enjoy the crafts market in the center of the mall with its knock-off purses, jewelry, leather goods and shoes.
Passing a cute little girl and her mother, we realize that it’s Winona, who works on the ship. I take a picture of mother and daughter. Vicky, Stephanie and I agree that we’d much rather go back to the Voyager to have lunch and watch the family reunions. Finding our way back to the mall entrance, we step outside to wait for the shuttle bus. Cars and people swirl around us under the watchful eyes of armed security forces. Our bus arrives and the return to the ship takes much less time even through thick traffic.
At lunch in Compass Rose, waiters are talkative and giddy with excitement. We watch a large group of Manila visitors seated in the middle of the restaurant. They are being served filet mignon and their wine glasses are re-filled often. The Voyager staff is doing a little “community building”.
After lunch, we take the elevator to the pool deck. Crew members stop us in the halls to introduce us to their families. Many of them are also on the pool deck where the ship is serving chips, salsa and soft drinks. The staff has provided ice cream which the children are allowed
to dish out for themselves. I meet a young mother with a three-month-old baby whose husband is a dishwasher in the galley. Today is his first chance to see the new baby.
I spend much of the afternoon on my balcony watching the reunions. Cruise Director, Jamie, videos the families as they visit near the bottom of the gangway. There is also a large tent on the dock where they can sit, shielded from a hot sun. Security seems to have relaxed and more cars are allowed in the port area. Some crew members drag out large boxes which they load into the cars. I assume they’ve been purchasing items for their relatives as they travel on the ship.
Across the dock, a military ship is conducting a drill. I think it involves terrorists and hostages. Many soldiers dressed in dark blue uniforms stand at attention on the deck. They clap at the conclusion when the hostages are released. I have a feeling this was for our benefit.
Alan’s bus is one of the last tour buses to return. Hot, tired and full of enthusiasm for his Corregidor experience, he joins me on the balcony. We compare our day as we continue to watch the families come and go on the dock below.
After dinner, the Bayanihan Philippine National Folkdance Company performs. Men dance onto the stage, moving to the rhythm of the castanets that they click in their hands. Women dancers, in elegant and colorful costumes, are bathed in dramatic lighting. They dance the folkdances of the Philippines while a group of musicians sits at the foot of the stage playing local instruments. This beautiful and extremely professional performance ends with a traditional bamboo dance.
When the dancers leave the stage, Capt. Dag invites crew and passengers to Decks 5 and 12 to watch our departure from Manila. Standing at the rail, we see the dance company walk down the gangplank. Our shouts of “Bravo, Bravo” echo across the pier.
The ship gives a slight shudder when the engines start. The deck vibrates under our feet as we wave to a few families still standing on the dock. They wave back, sadly at first but more energetically when the ship begins to pull away. Children jump up and down, calling out goodbyes. Cameras flash with picture taking. Crew members hold cell phones to their ears listening to last minute calls. They stand at the railing and wave, too, eyes glistening with tears. Voyager moves out to sea and Manila disappears into the darkness. Passengers and crew turn to walk back inside. Through my own misty eyes, I see that I am not the only one who cried tonight.
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vicki
non-member comment
Donna, I have tears in my eyes again, re-living our day in Manila. You've done a great job re-creating it everyone!